Box-forming machine



D M. BERNOTOW.

BOX FORMING MACHlNE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12, 1918.

1,378,579, Patented May 17, 1921.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

0. M. .BERNOTOW.

BOX FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FlLED JULY 12. 19l8.

Patented May 17, 1921.,

8 SHEETS-SHEET 2- D. M. BERNOTOW.

BOX FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12. l9l8.

1,378,579. r Patented May 17,1921.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

D. M. BERNOTOW.

BOX FORMING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 12. 1918.

1, 7 ,579; Patented May 17,1921.

"D. M. BERNOTOW. BOX FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 2! I918.

Patented May. -17, 1921'.-

8 SHEETS-SHEET 6. Y

I vl

D. M. B'ERNOTOW.

BOX FORMING MACHINE. APPLICATION men JULY 12. 918.

1,378,579. v Patented May1 7,1921.

8 SHEETS-SHEET 7- Q mxw 0. M.- BERNOTOW.

BOX FORMING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 12. 1918.

1,37 ,579, 1 Patented May 17,1921.

8 SHEET$-$HEET 8. @5919 *Q. a a

; UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.-

DOMINIK BERNOTOW,. OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ABSIGNOR, BY HESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO BUNTE BROTHERS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLI- NOIS- BOX-FORMING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 17, 1921.

' To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, DOMINIK M. Banno- TOW, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Box-Forming Machines, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to machines for forming and infolding the flaps of so-called pasteboard boxes or cartons, operations sometimes referred to as setting up the cartons. While the invention is applicable to boxes of various sizes and shapes used for various purposes, I have chosen to illustrate the principle in connection with a small size box, well known commercially and commonly used for packages of cough drops and hard candies. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the cough drop or candy manufacturer usually receives the boxes from the box manufacturer in colla sed condition, as indicated in Fig. 26. T ey lie flat, with the top resting upon the bottom, and the sides of the box and the.

flaps also out flat. This saves bulk in shipment from the box maker to the candy maker, and also avoids danger of crushing the boxes. According to prior custom, when the candy maker is ready to fill' the boxes, operatives first have to open up the boxes one by one, bend and tuck in the flaps and ejecting the finished box.

at one end'of the box, then introduce the contents, and finally bend and tuck in the flaps at the other end of the box to close it. The primary object of my invention is to provide a machine which will take the boxes in flat condition, open them up so as to be rectangular in crosssection, bend and tuck in the end flaps at one end of the box, and deliver the box thus formed into areceptacle ready for the operatives to insert the contents.

In carrying out my invention, it has been my object to provide means for holding a supply of collapsed boxes, means fortransferring theflat boxes thence to the operating table, means for positioning and holding the collapsed box on the operating. table, means'for opening or squaring the box, means for folding in the side flaps, means for bending up and folding in the cross flap, and means for pushing home the cross flap It is also an object to provide mechanism for co-relating the above mentioned means, and to provide safety devices whereby the machine may avoid damaging itself if any of the parts should fail to function pro erly.

I obta1n my objects by tiie mechanism illustrated 1n the accompanying drawings, in which F igure 1 is a plan view of the complete maclnne.

Fig. 2 is a rear sectional elevation of the machine on the line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a side sectional elevation on the l1ne 33, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a plan section on the irregularline 47-41, Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 1s a sectional detail on the line 5-5,

ig. 6 is a sectional detail on the line 66 Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a sectional detail on the line 77, Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation on the line 8-8, Fig. 1.

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are sectional elevations of the operating table and associated parts, showing a box in progressive stages of formation.

Fig. 12 is a plan view on an enlarged scale, showing the rear end of the table and associated parts. The position of the parts correspond to the position shown in Fig. 9.

Fig. 13 is similar to Fig. 12, but shows a changed position of the parts corresponding to the position shown in Fig. 10. 1

Fig. 14 is similar to Figs. .12 and 13, but shows another changed position of the parts iorreslpionding to the position shown in I 1g.

Fig. 15' is a side view of one of the operating cams, as viewed from line 15, Fig. 2.

Fig. 16 is a side View of another operating cam, as viewed from line 16, Fig. 2.

ig. 17 is a side view of another operating cam, as viewed from line 17, Fig. 2.

Fig. 18 is a side view of another operating cam, as viewed from line 18, Fig. 2.

Fig. 19 is a perspective View of the rear end of the operating table and associated parts, showing the box in process. For the sake of clearness this view omits certain of the parts, as for example, the ejecting mechmechanism. In this figure certain of the parts shown in Fig. 19 are omitted for the sake of clearness.

Figs. 21, 22 and 23, show different stages during the process. detail crosswise of the box, showing the acting position of the box clamp. Fig. 25 is a top plan showing a changed position of the so-called kicker which pushes home the side and cross flaps and ejects the finished box.

Fig. 26 shows the condition of the box as it arrives from the box maker and is introduced into the magazine of my machine.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

In the form selected to illustrate the invention, the machine has a ma n frame 1 surmounted by what, for identification, I shall refer to as an operating table 2, upon which the operations of squaring the box and folding in the flaps at one end take place. For convenience, I shall refer to the portion of the machine which lies to the right, as viewed in Fig. 1, as the right side of the machine, the opposite side as the left side, and the portion near the bottom of the figure nearest the observer as the front of the machine.

At the right of the table 2 is the magazine 3 in which the collapsed boxes are stored. This is an upright rectangular casing open at the top and having a door 4 at the bottom as best shown at the upper portion of Fig. 2. The pile 5 of collapsed boxes normally rests upon a stationary platform 6 fastened upon the main frame, and supporting a feeder plate 7 which reciprocates upon the platform and pushes out onto the operatin table the lower one of the pile of boxes. t works in guides 7 as best shown at the right of Fig. 1. The door has a space 8 between it and the top of the platform, capable of passing but one box at a time, but the door 4 opens outwardly against the force ofthe spring 10 so that in case the feeder plate should engage more than one box, or the boxes should jam, the door will open outwardly and prevent any damage being done either to the machine or to the boxes. The feeder plate is reciprocated by a rack 12 actuated by a pinion 13 fastened to the rock shaft 14. A pinion 15 is also fastened to this shaft and this is actuated by a rack 16 sliding in the guide 17 carried by the main frame. At its lower end it has a roller 18 which works in a shrouded cam 19 fastened to the main shaft 20. Said shaft is journaled in the main frame and driven by any suitable-power device, for example, the band wheel 23 driven by the belt 24, as shown at the left of Fig. 2.

The feeder plate 7 pushes out the lowermost box onto the table 2 and. against the stop 30, after which the foot 31 of the holding lever 32 descends from the. position Fig. 24 is a seetional shown in Fig. 3 and engages the cross flap of the box and coiiperates with the underlying stationary bracket 35 to grip the fla and hold the box in position. (See Fig. 8). Saidv lever is fulcrumed on the pin 37 mounted in the stationary bracket 38 as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2. It is operated by a cam 40 fastened to a slide 41 which reciprocates upon a stationary platform 42 mounted on the main-frame. Said slide travels inguides 43 arranged lengthwise opposite the end of the box when the latter is on the operating table, see especially Fig. l. The slide is operated by a lever 45 best shown in Fig. 3. The lever is fulcrumed upon a stationary shaft 46 and is operated by a connecting rod 47 connectedv to a lever 48. Said lever is fulcrumed upon a stationary shaft 49 and has a roller 50 which works within a shrouded cam 51. Said cam is fastened to the main shaft 20. i

The cam 40, previously mentioned, is preferably formed of flat spring steel the rear end of which bears slidingly upon the platform 42. It acts upon the roller 55 at the rear end of the lever 32 and as it is resilient it creates a firm pressure of the foot 31 upon the cross flap of the box when in acting position. The lever 32 also performs another function in that it has a cam-like finger 57 which, as it descends, engages the end of thecross-flap of the box and pushes the box rear-ward to the proper position on the operating table. This action is-illustrated in Fig. 9.

The operating table 2 is a little lower than the surface of the platform 6 as best shown in Figs. 2 and 24. Consequently when the flat box is delivered from the magazine 3 onto the operatin table, it drops down over the edge of the ange 60 of the clamp 61. The foot 31 of the holding lever 32 then descends on the end flap of the box thus holding the box while said clamp, which is pivoted upon the stationary pin 62, swings up from the initial position shown in Fig. 2 to the holding position shown in Fig. 24. This movement of the clamp is effected by a link 65 connected to a rod 66 working in a stationary guide 67. At the lower end, said rod has a roller 63 working in a shrouded cam 69. A side view of these parts is shown in Fi 16. Clamp 61 performs a dual function. t not only holds the box in cooperation with the stop 30, but also serves to partly open the box to admit the points of the former or squaring device 71. At the time when the clamp is ready to swing up from the initial position the bottom of the box is lying down flat upon the operating table and the side of the box is lying upon the prostrate clamp. As the box is held partially by the holding lever32 and partially by the stop 30, when the clamp starts to rise it bends the overlying side of the box up. ward thus raising the to of the box off the bottom of the box an creating a space into which the nose of the former 71 may enter to complete the squaring of the box. This former plunger or mandrel is preferably integral with the slide 41 and is bifurcated so as to pass to the two sides of the lever 32 as best shown in Figs. 3 and 12. At the front, the former or mandrel 71, 41 is tapered to readily enter the open end of the partially squared carton; but at the rear end portion it is of the full cross section of the inside of the carton for completing the squaring operation. In practice, the side of the box nearest the clamp 61 opens up a little in advance of the opposite side and I have taken advantage of this by extending the adjacent branch 71 of the former a little ahead of the distant branch This renders the action somewhat smoother. It will be noted especially by reference to Figs. 3 and 9 that the former is beveled off at the front both on top and at the sides thus forming what are in effect cam surfaces for bringing the box gradually and certainly to a perfect rectangular v cross-section.

I will now describe the means for folding in the side fiaps 75 and the inner section 76 and outer section 77 of the cross flap of the box: As the box comes from the maker the side flaps 75 he in the plane of the sides of the box and hence when the.

sides are brought upright by the action of the clamp 60 and former 71 said side flaps come to an upright position but still remain in the plane of the now'up-standing sides of the box. In other words they stand vertical and extend lengthwise of the box. They are thereupon engaged by the fingers 78 which are arranged crosswise of the box. They are shown in perspective in Fig. 19 and in plan in Figs. 1, 12, and 13 and in vertical section in Fig. 5. They rise from bases 79 which lie flat and reciprocate between stationary parallel guides 80. They are located on opposite sides of the box and approach from the sides as shown. They are simultaneously actuated by rocking levers 85 shown in elevation in Fig. 8. According to the present design one of these I levers is directly connected to the base of one of the fingers while the other is mediately connected to the base of the other one through the agency of a link 86 connected to a lever 87, the free end of which is connected to ,said base. Lever 8.7 has a stationary fulcrum 88 while the levers 85 have stationary fulcrums 89. Said rocking levers are actuated in unison by a slotted plate 90 which engages their ends and slides within vertical guides 91. Plate 90, which is also shown in Fig. 2, is vertically reciprocated by a rock lever 93 having a stationary lately" connected to a link 12 1.

fulcrum 94 and having an arm 95 provided at its free end with a roller 96 working in the shrouded cam 97. A face view of these parts is shown'in Fig. 17. Said cam is fastened to the main shaft 20.

As these fingers 78 move inward they fold the side flaps of the box inward as shown 1n Fig. 19. Each is provided with a presser foot in the form of a plate 100 hinged to the lower edge of the finger and urged downward by a coiled spring 101. These presser plates move over onto the inner section 76 of the cross flap of the box and are held at sufficient elevation to insure their overriding the flap by the corners of the bases 79 of the fingers 78. In other words, the remote ends of the presser plates rest upon the near ends of the bases 79 and. hence are always held high enough to. make it sure Ehat they will pass over the topof the cross ap. a

After the folding fingers and presser.

plates have been thus positioriedysee Figs.

10, 13 and 19, appropriate mechanism mafor accommodating .the gripping bracket 35 and isrocked' upon its axis. by a bifurcated -link 113 which engages the projecting ends of the rock shaft 106 and, as best shown in F igs'. 2. and .3, is connected at itslower end to, a lever 11 1. Said lever, which is shown in detail in Fig. 18, has a stationary fulcrurn 116 supported in a bracket 117 fastened to-the main frame 1. The lever is provided with an anti friction roller 118 which works within a shrouded cam 119 fastened on'shaft" 20. Shaft 106, and-hence the folder 105, is rocked by means of an arm 120 the free end of which is articu- The opposite end of the link is pivotally connected to a stationary bracket 122. The pivotal axis atthe fixed end of the link is above the axis of the Pins 108 and the parts are so designed that as the link 113 rotates the rocker plate 107 upward from the horizontal position shown in Fig. 19 to the vertical position shown in Fig. 11, the folder 105 will be rotated about its axis 106 as well as being swung bodily about the axis of the pins 108. Said folder has two leaves and 126, and when in final or home position they will he as shown in Fig. 11, with the leaf 125 overlying the top of the box, and the leaf126 inserted between the top of the box and the upper edge of the cross flap of the box. The action isprogressively illustrated in Figs. 9, 10 andlll. The normal non-acting position is shown in Fig. 9, the folder being down out of the way. After the fingers 78 have moved inward and folded in the side flaps, and the presserplates 100 have come over onto the top of the inner section .7 6 of the cross flap, the rocker late 107 begins to rise. This causes the lea 126 to swing up and engage the outer edge of the outer section 77 of the cross flap and bend it upward. As the presser plates 100 are at this time holding the inner section 76 down, a bend is formed at the junction of the inner and outer sections 76, 77. The upward and rotary movements of the folder continue, and as the leaf 126 is concavel-y curved, the outer section 77 is caused to swing up and pass in under the adjacent edge of the top of the box as shown in Fig. 11. During this time the body of the rocker plate itself engages the inner section 76 and brings it to vertical position as shown in Fig. 11. During this time the holding lever 32 rises out of the way and the presser plates 100 yield upwardly, and they and the folding finger 78 are withdrawn by the time the sections 76 and 77 have arrived at the final position shown in Fig. 11. The folder and parts which operate it are now swung back toward normal position. During this movement there is sometimes a tendency for the curved lower leaf 126, as it leaves the box, to draw the flaps outward a little thus making the box somewhat loose at thatend. I have provided means for remedying this and also for ejecting the finished box. These means will now be described.

A wheel 130 overlies the operating table 2. Its axis is fixed by an arbor 131 journaled in the table. According to the design shown, said wheel is in the form of a pinion meshing with a gear wheel 132 driven by a vertical shaft 133, see especially Fig. 2. Said shaft is driven by a bevel gear 134 meshing with a bevel gear 135 fastened to the main shaft 20. A bar 140, shown in ,prspective in Fig. 20, is articulately connected to wheel 130 by a stud 141. At its free end the bar carries a hand 142 adapted to engage the outside of the cross flap of the box and press the flap forward into proper position. The bar is urged forward by a spring 144 the other end of which is fastened to the outer end of an arm 145 rigidly fastened to the top of the gear wheel 130. When bar 140 is not engaging any outside object, the spring 144 holds it in contact with a stop 146 rising from arm 145. This position is illustrated at the upper left corner of Fig. 1. A detent 150 is secured to the platform 42 and is located in such position that as the wheel 130 revolves, the nose 151 at the outer end of bar 140 engages it and is temporarily arrested by it. (See Fig. 25.) The wheel however continues to revolve and move the arm 145 with the result that the spring is stretched further and further until finally the stud 141 (by this time moving in a direction substantially straight away from detent 150) causes the bar 140 to be suddenly released from the detent whereupon the spring imparts a sudden movement to the armand brings the hand 142 smartly against the end of the box. (See Fig. 20.) The parts are so timed that the holding clamp 60 will release the box before the hand engages it, in consequence whereof the box is free to move off over the delivery end of the operating table. But the box, although comparatively light in weight, possesses an appreciable amount of inertia. Consequently the hit or kick which it receives from the hand 142 not only ejectsit but rectifies the position of the flaps in case they have been more or less dislocated by the withdrawal of the folder 105.

1 The operation of the machine as a whole will now be readily understood. The magazine 3 is filled with boxes in the fiat and the pusher plate 7 slides them one by one onto the operating table 2 up against the stop 30. The holding lever 32 then de-- flaps 7 5. At the same time the presserplates 100 move over onto the inner section of the end flap of the box and hold it down while the outer section is being turned upward by the folder 105 and its leaves 125 and 126.

- The fingers 78 and presser plates 100 withdraw in time to get out of the way of the approaching cross flap and after the latter has been pushed home to the position shown in Fig. 11 the folder is withdrawn and drops down out of the way of the kicking bar 140 which, upon being released from the detent 150, not only closes up the end flaps, as they should be but continues its movement to move the box forward. off the table. The clamp 60 releases the box just prior to the arrival of the bar and returns to initial position to permit a fresh fiat box to be delivered over it from the magazine onto the operating table as shown in Fig. 2. It will thus be seen that the action is entirely automatic and it has been found in practice that boxes The former 71 then moves forward, 7

- end where said flap is located and the pluna I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

.1. In a machine for setting up cartons, an operating table, a plunger adapted to enter one end of the carton for squaringit, and a finger adapted to move toward and from the table for intermittently gripping the rear end flap of the carton for holding the latter while the squaring means is entering the carton, the finger being located between the lateral edges of the carton and the plunger being slotted to accommodate said finger.

I 2. A machine for forming cartons from the flat, said machine having an operating table on which the bottom of the carton rests the end flap of the carton lying in the plane of the bottom of the carton, a gripping lever I adapted to descend on to the end flap for preventing movement of the carton during the squaring operation, and a sliding plunger adapted to enter one end of the carton for squaring it, the nose of the plunger being tapered to facilitate insertion.

.3. A machine for forming cartons from the flat, said machine having an operating table on which the bottom of the carton rests the end flap of the carton lying in the plane of the bottom of the carton, a gripping lever adapted to descend on to the end flap for preventing movementof the carton during the squaring operation, and a sliding plunger adaptedto enter one end of the carton for squaring it, the nose of the plungerbe- 7 ing tapered to facilitate insertion, said plunger being adapted to enter from the same ger'being bifurcated to thereby clear said gripping lever. a

4. A machine for forming boxes from the fiat, said machine having an operating table upon which the collapsed box may lie with its end flap lyingin the plane of the bottom of the box, and a combined positioner and holder movable transversely to the plane of the end flap and adapted, in

proaching, to

first engage the box, to positi n it, and subsequently engage said flap to grip it.

5. A machine for forming cartons from i the flat, having an operating table on which the collapsed carton rests with its end flap outstretched, a presser foot adapted to descend onto the outstretched end flap for holding the carton in position on the table, means for causing said presser foot to descend and rise for'the successive cartons, and

a reciprocating plunger passing over said outstretched and engaged end flap and entering the open end of the carton for squaring it, said plunger having a tapered forward end to facilitate its entering the carton.

, 6. A box forming machine having an operating table, means for holding a squared but open ended box thereon, the box having a cross end-flap intended to be folded into two sections, and presser plates niovable over onto the inner section of the end flap to hold it while the outer section is being folded up, said presser plates being yieldable to thereafter permit the inner section to be swung up to close the end of the box.

7. box forming machine adapted to support an open ended box, a rotatable member having a fixed pivot on the machine, a folder pivoted to the free end of said rotatable member, means for rotating said folder about its pivot, and means for rotating said rotatable member about its pivot for folding in the end flaps of the box. Q

8. A box forming machine having an operating table for supporting an open ended box, a folder for folding up the end flaps of the box, a rotatable member pivotally connected to the table, said folder being .pivotally connected to the free end of said rotatable member, means for rotating said free end of said crank and having a fixed pivpt out of line with the pivot of the folder p a e.

10. A box formingmaehine having a support for the box, and a folder havlng two rigidly connected leaves for infolding the end flaps, said leaves passing one above and the other beneath the top of the box in moving the flaps home.

11. A box forming machine having a rotatable member about its pivot, and means folder for infolding the end flaps of the box, a portion of said folder entering the box and being subsequently withdrawn; and means for thereafter pressing against the endfia s for pushing them home.

12. eratin table, means for holding an open ended ox thereon, folding means entering partially into the end of the box for infoldmg the end flaps, and means adapted to smartly hit the end flaps after they have' been infolded.

13. A box forming machine having an operating table, means for holding an open ended box thereon, a folder for infolding the end flaps, means for hitting the infolded end of the box and coordinating means for causing the holding means to hold until the folding means has completed its action and then release prior to the action of the hitbox forming machine having an opting means, whereby the hitting means not N only closes in the end flaps but ejects the box from the table. a

14. A box forming machine having an operating table for supporting an open ended box, a folder for infolding the end flaps, a.

pivoted bar adapted to engage the infolded end flaps, a spring for rotating said bar 15. A box forming machine having an opcrating table for supporting an open ended box, a folder for infolding the end flaps, a pivoted bar adapted to engage the infolded end flaps, a spring for rotating said bar about its pivot, a detent for detaining said bar, a wheel whereto the bar is eccentrically pivoted and on which it is mounted, the spring being also connected to the wheel, and means for rotating said wheel, for the purpose described.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

DOMINIK M. BERNOTOW. 

